3:03 • no narration • every clip credited on screen • French and Italian clips carry our English subtitles • as of 2:30 p.m. PT, Wednesday, Oct. 21
News compilation, newest developments first. Every item is attributed to the outlet or official named.
President Trump
Wednesday, Oct. 21. Russia released American Stephen Hubbard, who was handed to U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg (AP; CBS News). President Trump said he had asked Vladimir Putin to let Hubbard out and “he agreed to do it,” that “we gave nothing in exchange,” and that Hubbard “is the happiest man around” (NBC News; Fox News video).
Tuesday, Oct. 20. In the Oval Office, asked about France, Mr. Trump said: “It’s not about education. It’s about immigration” (CNN; The Daily Signal video).
Monday, Oct. 19. At a rally in Park City, Kansas, Mr. Trump said: “If you want to see what is at stake in this election, just look at what’s happening in France, a once great nation that is being conquered, looted and burned to the ground by migrants, jihadists and communists who hate Christianity” (Politico; The Guardian; Kansas City Star). Earlier that day he posted on Truth Social: “The migrants have taken over France. They must CLOSE THE BORDERS, FAST!” (Truth Social; USA Today).
Just in — Wednesday, Oct. 21
The Paris police prefecture banned a march by high-school and university students planned for Thursday, Oct. 22, and banned undeclared gatherings Thursday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in several sectors; Lyon also banned a Thursday student march (franceinfo).
President Emmanuel Macron will chair a security council Thursday at 10 a.m.; after meeting Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, the CGT and other unions called a broad mobilization for Nov. 5 (franceinfo live).
Macron responds
Speaking in Qatar on Wednesday, Macron said there was “no visible foreign interference” in the unrest but cited “foreign manipulation of information” and “unacceptable and stupid comments from many people, including foreign leaders.” Asked whether he meant Trump, he said, “Among others,” and called claims of “hordes of migrants and Islamists” “completely false” (CNN; AP; The Guardian; CBS News video).
France
Arrests. Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said in Marseille on Wednesday that 174 people have been jailed, about 2,500 were taken into police custody and 917 were referred for prosecution (Europe 1/AFP; DH/Belga; franceinfo video).
Damage. Commerce Minister Serge Papin said on Oct. 19 that at least 3,000 shops were damaged or looted (Public Sénat).
Curfews. Curfews were renewed in parts of Paris (République, Les Halles, 11 p.m.–6 a.m.) and central Lyon (9 p.m.–6 a.m.); curfews for minors apply in Marseille (10 p.m.–5 a.m.), Bordeaux and Nice, and in Toulouse from Thursday night through Sunday (franceinfo).
Limoges. The main suspect in the Limoges town hall fire, a 34-year-old ultra-left activist on a security watchlist (“fiché S”), was arrested Tuesday by the RAID police unit (Le Figaro).
Saturday, Oct. 24. Yellow Vests have filed a Bastille-to-Opéra route in Paris for “Act II”; the prefecture had not approved it (TF1). The CGT Paris and student unions plan a 2 p.m. rally at Bastille. The government promises a “massive” police deployment (franceinfo).
Orléans. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said “several tens of thousands” of counter-protesters are expected Saturday at the National Rally’s Oct. 24–25 congress (franceinfo).
Italy
The government approved a decree Tuesday creating an offense of violent participation in protests, punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to €20,000, and sending 500 more soldiers to Milan through the end of the year, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said (Al Jazeera; ANSA video). Protests are planned Saturday at 3 p.m. in Milan, Rome, Florence, Turin, Bologna, Padua, Bari and Genoa (The Local).
Serbia
Serbia votes Sunday, Oct. 25. An NSPM poll (Sept. 25–Oct. 5, 1,050 respondents) put the student list at 44.5% and the SNS-led list of President Aleksandar Vučić at 42.7% (bne IntelliNews).
Briefly
Greece. About 10,000 people marched in Athens on Wednesday for education funding, police said (Al Jazeera; CGTN Europe and Al Arabiya English video).
Albania. Student-led protests continued into a second week; police used tear gas and water cannon in Tirana on Tuesday (AP).
Germany. Protests against deportations are planned Saturday at seven airports, including Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin (LabourNet Germany; LVZ).
Russia/Ukraine. Putin met Witkoff in St. Petersburg on Wednesday; Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Moscow is ready in principle to resume three-way talks around Nov. 10 (Kremlin; AP; Reuters video). A Russian drone strike on a park in Nova Vodolaha, Kharkiv region, on Oct. 19 killed six people, including two children (Kyiv Independent).
Clips used under fair use for news commentary; sources are credited in the video.
